This year, Copenhagen’s annual Christmas tree will light up with the help of Danish citizens’ aerobic efforts. The energy produced by the riders[1] of 15 bicycles in Copenhagen’s City Hall Square will light up the 700 LED bulbs[2] that adorn the 17-meter-tall evergreen. The Christmas tree is one of several features in City Hall Square that will transform the civic space into an environmentally-friendly arena called Hopenhagen Live[3] from December 7th to December 18th. Music, exhibitions and more throughout Copenhagen will help bring attention to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15)[4] occurring during the same time period.

The pedal-powered tree is both a symbol of Copenhagen’s hope for cities around the world to adopt eco-friendly transportation as well as a representation of the city’s love of bicycling:

Copenhagen is already known as the City of Cyclists, and the term Copenhagenize has become a catchword for a new concept – when cities work to encourage increased usage of this healthy and CO2-friendly means of transport. With more than 350 kilometres of cycle lanes and one third of all Copenhageners commuting by bike every day, Copenhagen truly is a bicycle city.

As world leaders convene in Copenhagen during the holiday season to discuss how the world will fight climate change[5], this Christmas tree and other events around the city strive to combine holiday cheer with an awareness of climate change to prove that citizens can be engaged to create an eco-friendlier city in the years to come.